Oh Phillipe's!

L.A. is famous for a few eateries and Phillipe's is number one at the top of that list. It's over one hundred years old and is well known for inventing the French dipped sandwich. Its in the heart of Chinatown and has also been featured on a few television shows including the Travel Channel. The restaurant has such an ambiance to it, from the long tables you share with other people to the wood chips on the floor.

They have lamb, ham, turkey, beef, and pork sandwiches but my personal favorite is the lamb. I've had the beef and the lamb but the lamb is the winner winner chicken dinner! The chili straight up was also super yum and they have 75cent lemonade to quench your thirst. They're also known for their hot mustard, which you can take home in jars for $3.75. Note: this hot mustard is HOT HOT HOT. Delicious, yes. Mouthburning, definitely yes. Enjoy!

1001 N Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-3781
www.philippes.com

Christmas Eve Extravaganza

That's right. I cooked Christmas Eve Dinner. And it was actually less challenging than Thanksgiving, where I cooked for eleven people. Christmas Eve was more simple and I only had to cook for six people. The menu consisted of Spinach Artichoke Dip served with Tortilla Chips, Potatoes Au Gratin, Traditional Green Been Casserole, Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken and Mushrooms, Caesar Salad, blackened Cajun catfish (how cute is that name!? CATFISH!), and two Racks of Lamb. Let's just say that the oven got a nice little workout for once. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Eve/Christmas Dinner!

Roasted Rack of Lamb


Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil


1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and

frenched

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Move oven rack to the center position.

2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil to moisten mixture. Set aside.

3. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring.

4. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs.

Barlow's Blackened Catfish

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I cut this in half & it was perfect)

2 teaspoons lemon pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt


2 teaspoons pepper

1 pound catfish fillets

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

2. In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter. Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.

4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.

5. Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

On Christmas Day we had Shabu Shabu, which is a traditional Chinese style of cooking everything in a big pot at the table. There were rice noodles, sliced beef, pork, and lamb, fish balls, beef balls, lots of delicious vegetables, mushrooms, etc. It was delicious and technically easy to "cook". It's reminiscent of a soupy Korean BBQ style and for Shabu Shabu (which ironically my mother cannot pronounce for the life of her) there are lots of delicious sauces you can buy/make to dip the meat in. Yummmm...

Bonus Pictures!

Redondo Beach Review

I've heard that some people don't like seafood. To that I say: those people are crazy. My grandpapa is allergic to shrimp and I always feel bad for him when we have it. Last week a friend and I headed down to Redondo Beach for their seafood selection. It's right on the pier with the most gorgeous sunset view and the food is wonderful! The main thing we went down there for was the oysters. Those oysters were the star of the show. There are numerous types of oysters and they are listed by price. Big meaty oysters, medium oysters, small sweet oysters. They have it all! I believe we tried 2 big, 3 mediums, and 5 small. I really like the medium and small oysters the best. They also came with lots and lots of fresh lemon and homemade cocktail sauce which was some of the best that I had ever had. I also saw sea snails, sea urchins, lobsters, crabs, and all types of other live sea creatures for sale in tubs of water. So if you are ever in the area and need a specific type of fresh seafood then that is the place to go! I also had the Ahi Tuna Poke and the Fried Squid (which was basically like Calamari. A Lot. Of. Calamari.) which were DELICIOUS. The Ahi Tuna Poke came with a these round chips and hot sauce, yum! I was so happy afterward...ahh...what bliss....

Mamma Mia! Italiano!

My family heavily believes in family obligations. No one is allowed to just get by without doing anything. So whenever I'm home (like now for winter break or summer) I'm required to cook at least once a week. And do the dishes. So last night was "my night" and I decided to go with an Italian theme. I have a nice assortment of cookbooks but I still love to find recipes via the world wide web. I would recommended the sites Allrecipes and foodnetwork because they are widely used by people and reviewed so that you know what's good and what isn't. The meatloaf in the pictures was the most delicious that I have ever eaten and it was ALL. GONE. by the end of the night. So was the pasta. But the meatloaf was the fan favorite. Since I was serving 5-6 very hungry people I doubled the meat to 2 lbs, the eggs, the worchestire sauce, the balsamic vinegar but I kept most of the proportions the same.

Italian Meatloaf

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello via foodnetwork

Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time:5 min Cook Time:1 hr 0 min Level:Easy Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red pepper, seeded, small diced

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic

1 pound ground beef

2 eggs

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup marinara sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the marinara. Pack the meat mixture into an oiled loaf pan, if you do not have a loaf pan, form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on an oiled oven tray or baking dish. Top with the marinara making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis via foodnetwork.com

Prep Time:15 min Cook Time: 40 min Level: Easy Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)

1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

KOGI BBQ!

Almost everyone knows about this new Kogi truck phenomenon, and if you don't, you might just live under a rock. It's the new fad fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine, and everyone is trying to get a piece of it! The first time I had Kogi was in Hollywood after a Paolo Nutini concert. I had the kogi hot dog, spicy pork burrito and the short rib burrito (shared with a friend of course). It was all a surprise to my taste buds because I had never tasted anything like it! This time I had the short rib burrito again (hey, its delicious!) and I tried the kogi sliders. My friend shared the kogi sliders with me and had the chicken burrito. The reason why these burritos are half eaten is because we tucked in and then realized SHOOT! WE HAVE TO TAKE PICTURES! I have to say, the spicy pork and short rib is the best. The chicken is alright, but nothing too special. The sliders were delicious and had HUGE flavor. The second time didn't seem as delicious as the first time but I believe its because there was a huge line this time around and they had less time to try to churn everything out. But no matter what, its still something to at least TRY. Being a huge fan of Korean and Mexican food, I knew this combo was a match made in heaven for me!

Note: the people in the Kogi line are ridiculous. We had a friend in line and went to meet up with him when this male yelled at us (obscenities no less) very rudely to get out. So we gave our friend the money and texted him what to order for us (thanks Con!). I don't take kindly to people cussing at me. If you have something to say, you can just straight out tell me. You don't have to use crude words to express your opinion. Its very childish and offensive because the way I look at it, you're an adult and I'm assuming you have an adequate vocabulary so express yourself in a more mature manner. Its a food truck line for goodness sake!

RA Sushi Review

Let me just start off by saying that I love Restaurant Week. If there is ever a Restaurant Week near where you live, it is a great way to get deals on food and try something new. Last year during the Orange County Restaurant Week I could not decide where I wanted to go! Thankfully I happened to be at The District in Tustin where RA Sushi was so I gave it a try. I'm not sure how the food usually might be but I got such a deal! For $10 you get a specific restaurant week menu where you get to pick a specific entree. I choose this bowl dish with various types of fish like tuna, salmon, and yellow tail. It came with these fatty California rolls, a big yummy salad and desert. And let me just say, I got so. much. food. It was wonderful! When Restaurant Week rolls around this year I'll be sure to try a few new restaurants for sure!

A&J Review

Being a foodie means always trying new restaurants and new types of food. I'm always willing to try something different and a good method that I like to use is Yelp.com because there are reviews of the eateries and it lists so many various types of food places that you would never even think about. So when I first moved to Irvine I was desperately craving some Asian food and so naturally I looked it up on Yelp and found this place, A&J! And Oh. My. Gosh. Their beef tendon and spicy wontons are scrumptious. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water. Their Dan Dan Mein (which is like sesame peanut ish noodles) is one of the best that I've ever tried as well. What's even better is that they have multiple locations in SoCal and its pretty cheap (Irvine food can get pretty expensive) so your wallet won 't be crying afterwards. The only drawback is that they have the ordering paper in Chinese, which I can't read but can understand a little bit of, so what I do is look up what I want on the menu and match the characters up. Its quite sad, I know, but it works! So if you're ever in the area, give it a try!

Game Set Match!

Sorry for the long hiatus, school has been absolutely insane and I even cooked Thanksgiving dinner for nine people with turkey, ham and prime rib! The best part was the fact that there was loads of leftovers to eat so I don't have to cook for a long while! Anyways, these two cornish game hens that I made awhile back were utterly delicious. I've made them a number of times and I always use lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. The one thing that makes a huge yummy difference is white wine. It really adds a great flavor to the cornish game hens. You just buy them frozen from the supermarket and leave them out in cold water to thaw. I propped them up on onions so that they absorbed some of the flavor and remained crispy all around. The tactic definitely worked, so enjoy!